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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28667784">Making It Worse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllanaSan/pseuds/EllanaSan'>EllanaSan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Have a Drink Sweetheart (Hayffie Prompts/one shots collection) [40]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Pre-Canon, Protective Haymitch, Read at your own risks, but we know it's happening so yeah, canonical prostitution, in my hc escorts are sold too, it's all off screen, sometimes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:27:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,805</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28667784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllanaSan/pseuds/EllanaSan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He was long since past pretending she was just another Capitol drone. </p>
<p>She was his friend, if nothing else, and he didn’t want that shaddy sponsor to get his hands on his friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Have a Drink Sweetheart (Hayffie Prompts/one shots collection) [40]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/71774</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Making It Worse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HADS prompt: along the same line as chapter 520, could you write a fic where effie is "encouraged" to sleep with a sponsor/politician? but it happens while at a party and haymitch sees seneca talk to effie, sees her leave with the person, and he knows he can't make a scene so he has to stay and drink and get torched and angry with chaff/finnick/etc (oh, maybe jo's there and makes slut-shamey remarks about effie leaving to get laid). and then haymitch checks on effie later</p>
<p>Warnings are obvious given the prompt!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Haymitch had his eyes on that sponsor.</p>
<p>The guy was relatively new to the Games scene, having just inherited an indecent amount of money and doing what Capitols did best: spending it. As a consequence though, the Gamemakers were desperate to keep the money flowing in and the man happy.</p>
<p>Now, usually, Haymitch wouldn’t really care at all, except he had seen the way the man always seemed to gravitate around his escort, more or less subtly making it clear he was interested. He had already tried to tempt her with a sponsoring promise – but Haymitch had quickly shut that down because he was <em>certain </em>the man wouldn’t pay through and he <em>didn’t </em>prostitute his escort, he didn’t play it the Career way. Her numerous polite and cheerful refusals to drinks or to his dinner invitations had done nothing to deter the man.</p>
<p>And Haymitch didn’t like the way he was looking at her right then.</p>
<p>The party was in full swing and, as was their habits, he and Chaff had grabbed one of the tables in the corner early on but Haymitch wasn’t listening to one word of the conversation his friends were having. Johanna was bitching about her escort or something like that. Finnick was laughing too loud to be genuinely amused – more likely he was upset over one special appointment or another. Chaff was cutting in with sarcastic remarks that only spurred Jo on. Haymitch… Haymitch drank and kept his eyes on that sponsor and didn’t like at all the smug look on the man’s face.</p>
<p>Effie was currently doing what she did best: working the room. She was lost in a gaggle of her friends, gossiping and laughing in turns in the fakest display possible.</p>
<p>He hated it when she acted like that. It was only too easy to forget the human underneath the painted mask. Maybe it should have made things easier for him but it didn’t.</p>
<p>He was long since past pretending she was just another Capitol drone.</p>
<p>She was his friend, if nothing else, and he didn’t want that shaddy sponsor to get his hands on his friend.</p>
<p>“You’re distracted.” Chaff accused, filling his glass back up.</p>
<p>He hadn’t even noticed he had run out of booze.</p>
<p>He muttered an awkward thanks, met Finnick’s knowing gaze and averted his eyes just as quickly. The kid didn’t say anything although he looked a little sad.</p>
<p>It wasn’t like there was much to say anyway.</p>
<p>They had all been there.</p>
<p>Crane was in fine form that night.</p>
<p>The Head Gamemaker was wearing a lavender suit, his hair and beard were dyed a pale blue and he looked a little high too Haymitch. There was a younger man hanging on his arm. New eye candy toy, Haymitch supposed.</p>
<p>Yeah… Crane was in fine form and clearly having a blast.</p>
<p>Haymitch wouldn’t have said his face <em>fell </em>when the sponsor approached him but it certainly hardened a little and Haymitch didn’t like that <em>at all</em>. He liked it even less when Crane sent his boy toy fetch a drink so the two of them could have a talk in private.</p>
<p>There was a bad feeling stirring in his stomach and he started tapping a finger on the rim of his glass.</p>
<p>He knew what that looked like.</p>
<p>He knew what that looked like and he hated it.</p>
<p>“Am I boring you, old man?” Johanna hissed, kicking him in the leg with her bare foot.</p>
<p>He wasn’t sure where her heels had gone.</p>
<p>“Hey, he’s five years younger than me… Who are you calling an old man?” Chaff scowled, for fun more than out of offense.</p>
<p>The conversation swelled around him again, witty comments and retorts, snickers and jokes… Finnick was subdued though. While he gave the appropriate answers, his eyes were following the same ballet Haymitch’s were.</p>
<p>The sponsor left Crane. Crane dismissed his <em>fuck</em> toy and his two glasses of champagne. Crane found a Gamemaker. The Gamemaker made his way to Effie…</p>
<p>The whole thing took less than five minutes.</p>
<p>Haymitch watched, strangling the glass as the Gamemaker whispered something in his escort’s ear, his hand at the small of her back, as if sharing a joke…</p>
<p>Effie’s eyes immediately turned to their corner and met his.</p>
<p>Haymitch wanted to scream.</p>
<p>She didn’t maintain eye contact for long. The smile on her lips didn’t waver, her eyes remained bright and her back rod straight…</p>
<p>A moment later the Gamemaker returned to his own devices and the sponsor approached her.</p>
<p>“<em>Fuck</em> it.” he spat, thrusting his glass at Chaff who struggled to grab it since he already had one in his good hand.</p>
<p>“Haymitch.” Finnick warned in a weary tone.</p>
<p>Effie and the sponsor were almost at the doors but if he was quick…</p>
<p>Crane’s hand shot out without warning and grabbed his arm, pulling him into his side. “Don’t.” Haymitch glowered and tried to shrug himself free but the man had a deadly grip on his arm. “And <em>smile</em>, for goodness’ sake, man.”</p>
<p>“<em>Fucking</em> let me go.” he growled in a low voice because they were attracting looks and he wasn’t stupid enough not to know there would be <em>hell</em> to pay – for him and for Effie alike – if he caused a scene with a Head Gamemaker. Of course, there would be hell to pay too if he punched a sponsor, which he was <em>most definitely</em> going to do when he caught up with them…  </p>
<p>Crane laughed as if he had said the funniest thing.</p>
<p>The Capitols who were watching went back to their own business.</p>
<p>“Don’t you think if I could have spared her, I would have?” Crane snapped. He was just as gifted as Effie was to say something snappish while keeping a serene expression on his face. Looking at him, you would think they were discussing the weather. “Do <em>not</em> make this harder on her than it has to be. He is an idiot but he is harmless. She is <em>quite</em> safe, I promise you.”</p>
<p><em>Safe</em>.</p>
<p>She <em>wasn’t</em> safe.</p>
<p>She was…</p>
<p>“That’s not the point.” he scoffed. “She’s…”</p>
<p>“Abernathy.” Crane interrupted, hissing his name under his breath in obvious annoyance. “I have told her <em>times and times</em> again to get things under control with you. She persists in this folly and I do my best to cover her infatuation because she is a very old friend, a very <em>dear </em>friend. <em>However </em>if you create a scene right now I will <em>not </em>cover it up and <em>you </em>are the one who will have to deal with the consequences. Do we understand each other?”</p>
<p>He understood alright.</p>
<p>Crane wouldn’t bring their affair to Snow but if Haymitch stupidly exposed it, that was on him.</p>
<p>“Yeah.” Haymitch muttered.</p>
<p>He glared at the Gamemaker but forced his body to relax as much as it would. When his shoulders slouched, Crane finally released his arm and nodded. “Good man. Now go join your friends and pretend you do not know what is going on.” The Capitol took a step away from him and then hesitated, stepping back in front of him. “For what it is worth, it is only sex. The body and the heart are two very different things.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, I can do without your Capitol <em>bullshit</em>.” he spat, storming off just to have the satisfaction of getting the last word.</p>
<p>It was a meager victory but it was the only one he could afford that night.</p>
<p>He dropped back on his chair, ignoring Chaff’s slightly worried looks and Finnick’s sympathetic face.</p>
<p>“Oh, come on…” Jo rolled her eyes after they had sat there in silence for far too long. “Your slut clearly wants more pocket money… So what? I bet she’s used to making a fortune on her back.”</p>
<p>The words were vicious and designed to hurt and Haymitch clenched his teeth and reminded himself that Johanna was young and hurt and didn’t know any better. At her age, he had been just as clueless, just as eager to hate on every Capitol…</p>
<p>“Shut up, Jo.” Finnick snarled before he could. The boy tossed down what was left of his glass and stood up. “I can’t heart that <em>shit</em> tonight.” He was soon swallowed by the crowd.</p>
<p>Johanna sneered but one look at Haymitch and she left too, probably in search of more people to insult.</p>
<p>“If you’re gonna make the kind of comments I don’t wanna hear, do me a favor and get lost.” Haymitch warned.</p>
<p>Chaff didn’t move though, he winced a little. “Not her choice, yeah?”</p>
<p>“No.” he snapped.</p>
<p>Eleven’s victor sighed and poured them both new drinks. “She’s tough, your girl, she’s gonna be fine.”</p>
<p>“Not my girl.” he grumbled but the denial left a bad taste in his mouth this time.</p>
<p>Chaff, to his credit, didn’t make any of the disparaging remarks he would usually make. He dutifully poured him another drink every time Haymitch’s glass was empty and kept him company.</p>
<p>After an hour and a half, he couldn’t take it anymore and he left the party to go back to the penthouse.</p>
<p>“Effie?” he called as soon as he stepped out of  the elevator.</p>
<p>“In the living-room!”  she sing-sang in her usual cheerful voice.</p>
<p>He found her sipping a cocktail and browsing one of her fashion magazines, apparently nonplussed.</p>
<p>“Are you alright?” he hesitated. At first glance, she looked fine. No weird marks, no bruises that he could see…</p>
<p>“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She frowned as if he was asking a particularly stupid question.</p>
<p>She looked honestly puzzled and it was almost enough to make him doubt he had understood the previous exchange correctly but then he caught it. That desperate glint in her eyes…</p>
<p>She wanted to pretend nothing had happened, that everything was fine.</p>
<p>He wanted to strangle that guy.</p>
<p>But what good would it do to tell her that?</p>
<p>Bugs would pick it up, conclusions would be drawn…</p>
<p><em>Consequences</em>.</p>
<p>“I don’t know.” He shrugged, heading to the liquor cart to pour himself another drink – one he didn’t really need because he was on the bad side of buzzed. “The shrimps looked weird at the party. I ate one and it ain’t settling right with me.”</p>
<p>“Poor baby.” she teased but she didn’t put the leer into it that would otherwise invite him to sit down next to her and continue the banter.</p>
<p>“Think I’m gonna head to bed.” he said, downing his glass in one go.</p>
<p>“Goodnight.” she hummed, flicking the page of her magazine, her eyes glued to the glossy paper. “Do not forget we have an interview with Caesar tomorrow at noon. Set your alarm for a change.”</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes at the prospect but forced himself to walk out of there without making another comment.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t help.</p>
<p>It would only make it worse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed this one! Let me know what you thought!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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